Labels

Friday, November 12, 2010

I don't know about you guys but I'm a voracious reader. Magazines, books, articles, and especially news items consume a significant part of my life. I own a television but don't have satellite or cable and apart from watching a movie with my boys, rarely turn it on. I get fed up with the endless stories of tragedy, heartache, betrayal and "blood & guts" as I refer to it.

I have found that I am infinitely happier in my life when I don't listen to it. I stay very informed about the news of the day especially as it can affect my little corner of the world but apart from that I could care less.

I do however, love to hear real-life stories of triumph, perserverance and personal sacrifice for the greater good. Those stories that lift you up and make you proud to be in my case an American but in yours wherever you call home. The stories that renew your faith in your god, country and fellow man. The ones that bring a smile to your face later that day, week or month. Those are the ones that we don't hear enough about and this is my small effort to change that.......

A Nova Scotia couple won $11.2 million from a lottery ticket in July and now every penny is gone.

But Allen and Violet Large of Lower Truro didn't spend any of it on themselves.

They say they decided to take care of family, organizations and institutions instead.

"What you've never had, you never miss," said Violet, 78.

Married since 1974, the couple does not live large. They don't travel, they don't gamble (beyond playing the lottery) and they don't buy what they don't need.

"We have an old house, but we're comfortable and we're happy in it," Violet said.

They spent 30 years in Ontario where Allen was a steel welder and Violet worked for cosmetics and chocolate companies. They retired in 1983 and returned to Nova Scotia.

"We were pretty well set, not millionaires, but comfortable," said Allen, 75.

So when they hit it big in Lotto 6-49's July 14 draw, they decided to give it all away.

All that money "was a big headache," Allen said.

Violet said she was concerned about "crooked people" who might try to take advantage of them.

But the big win came at a difficult time in their lives: Violet was undergoing treatment for cancer that doctors discovered in the spring.

"That money that we won was nothing," said Allen, choking back tears. "We have each other."

Violet has been through surgery and finished her last chemotherapy treatment a week ago.

After the win, the couple took about a week to work out the details before embarking on their $11,255,272 spending spree.

They took care of family first and then began delivering donations to the two pages' worth of groups they had decided on, including the local fire department, churches, cemeteries, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, hospitals in Truro and Halifax, where Violet underwent her cancer treatment, and organizations that fight cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes.

The list goes on and on.

The couple won't say how much they gave each group, but they've received plenty of phone calls, letters and plaques of gratitude. While they're thankful for each one, they didn't do it for the recognition.

"It made us feel good," said Violet. "And there's so much good being done with that money."

She and her husband said they feel privileged to be able to give back to the community, to help the firefighters, the doctors and nurses and the volunteers who have helped them.

"We're the lucky ones," Violet said. "I have no complaints."

Allen and Violet Large, both in their 70s, said their good fortune earlier this year had been a 'big headache' and they had decided to give it all away to family and a long list of charities.

How did this story make you feel? Do you have an uplifting story to share?? Tell us about it in the comments.....

This is such a heart warming story! It's good to know that there are amazing people in the world like these guys! This story makes me feel like watching the california lottery results just so I can win a lottery and give back like this amazing couple has. Thanks for sharing!